July 14, 1963 - Swinging back into high gear today, the New York Yankees resumed their pleasant task of putting pressure on the rest of the American League by taking two games from the Kansas City Athletics. Overcoming a 4-run first-inning deficit, the Yankees unloaded a 14-hit attack and romped off with the first game, 11-6, before a crowd of 31,215, the largest gathering of the year at Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium. Old Yogi Berra was the boss Bomber in the comeback. The 38-year-old catcher had three hits and his double was decisive. Berra, now in his 18th season, now has a .304 batting average and has hit .556 over the last five games in which he has played. Homers by John Blanchard and Hector Lopez and a superb relief stint by Steve Hamilton until he became ill from the heat in the eighth, helped win the opener. “The heat got me,” Hamilton explained. “I got weak in the knees and chucked.” Hal Reniff came on to finish it. Then, in the second game, behind another fine left-handed masterpiece by 22-year-old Al Downing, the Yanks won, 5-0. In scoring his fifth victory and third shutout, Downing allowed only four hits and struck out ten men. Behind Downing’s effort, the Yanks battered Orlando Pena for 10 hits, including 2 homers by Tom Tresh as well as a homer, double, and single by Elston Howard. Downing gives much of the credit for his success to Johnny Sain, Yankee coach. “I used to throw a swooper [curveball] until Sain showed me how to break the ball quicker. It keeps me ahead of the hitters and also is my best strikeout pitch. Some batters think it’s a slider, but actually it is a fast curve which pulls quickly away from left-handed batters and moves in fast on righties. Manager Houk has given me every opportunity as a starter since I joined the club. Pitching every fourth day has helped me tremendously, and I seem to have more confidence in my pitches, but I’ve got a long way to go yet. Of course, I’m playing for a wonderful team which gives me good support, and that helps.” “Downing is the best prospect in the Yankee organization,” said manager Ralph Houk. “We knew Al had a lot of stuff, and rather than have him sit on the bench, we decided to see that he got the necessary experience.” Elston Howard, Yankee catcher, also boosts Downing. “Al has an easy motion and gets his entire body behind every pitch,” Howard observed. “His fastball is alive, and his breaking stuff keeps hitters off stride.”
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